A typical harvester includes a harvesting platform including a frame supported for movement over ground, the frame having a front edge, a cutter bar extending along the front edge, and a pickup reel for lifting crop into the harvester. Generally, a pickup reel includes a reel support supported by the frame, a shaft rotatably supported by the reel support and extending along an axis transverse to the frame, a plurality of arms extending radially from and being rotatable with the shaft, a plurality of second shafts, each supported by at least one of the arms and being generally parallel to and radially spaced from the first shaft, the second shafts being rotatable relative to and rotatable with the arm, and a plurality of tines supported by each second shaft for rotation with the second shaft. The tips of the tines are movable along a tip path during rotation of the first shaft.
In some constructions, the pickup reel may also include an arrangement for defining the tip path. A typical arrangement includes a cam defining a generally endless cam path extending about the first shaft, a cam follower engageable with the cam and movable along the cam path, and a crank arm connected between a cam follower and a second shaft. Rotation of the first shaft and movement of the cam follower along the cam path cooperate to cause the tips to move along the tip path. Exemplary arrangements are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,768,870; 5,595,053; 5,566,536; 5,007,235; and 4,008,558.